Turn on the news (or any marketing podcast) and you’ll hear it: a new arms race is upon us. No matter your industry or field of focus, SEO and content strategies as a whole are undergoing a dramatic shift, thanks in large part to Google’s latest Hummingbird update. Read on for a look at how you can adjust your content marketing tactics in 2015 to meet the growing demands of search engines while keeping these three themes in mind: semantics, speed, and security.

The New Year is upon us, and with it, some of the momentous shifts to take place in the digital realm. From altering everyday payment systems to realizing seemingly farfetched sci-fi visions, what we once deemed the “future” is quickly becoming our new reality. Here at DS, we’re pooling our predictions for 2015 and weighing in on some of the biggest trends on the marketing horizon.​

​By definition, design speaks to both form and function. By allowing the brain to think in terms of these elements, one can actively solve critical problems in a creative manner. Cue, Design Thinking. Discover why some of the world’s most progressive companies are turning to this process as a means of workplace inspiration, collaboration, and innovation. Follow these steps and witness firsthand how Design Thinking can transform the way you think.

While Cyber Monday has a relatively short history, providing marketers with scant perspective on which to draw, its incredible growth implies that retailers without a solid Cyber Monday strategy better prepare for a long, cold winter.

“No one has ever become poor by giving” is a quote that has been variously attributed to Mark Twain, Maya Angelou, Mother Theresa, and that immortal know-it-all Anonymous. (It was actually Anne Frank, if you were wondering.) Thanks to a new trend in marketing though, many creatives are finding this to not be the case. This trend is called campaign crowdsourcing, and while more and more brands are beginning to embrace it, creatives are growing wary of what may prove to be a very lopsided deal.

Ever wonder how the innovators of the world tap into their most creative selves? It isn’t magic, and they don’t possess some superhuman gene. No, all that’s needed to reach your pinnacle of creativity is a formula– and a work ethic that celebrates vulnerability and even failure. Find out the five steps that can help anyone discover creative solutions to problems big and small.